Housing hierarchy of needs that contribute to the well-being of residents

Abstract

This study aimed to identify a housing hierarchy of needs for realizing residents’ well-being. To this end, housing elements were grouped into five categories—safety, health, convenience, comfort, and sustainability—with reference to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs framework. To validate the accuracy of this hierarchy, a nationwide online questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,001 Japanese adults. The questionnaire covered resident and housing attributes, including the five categories of housing needs, with respondents using a Cantril ladder to rate their current well-being on a scale of 0-10. The results showed that the higher up the housing hierarchy of needs, the closer residents were to achieving well-being. The mean Cantril ladder score was higher when housing needs were satisfied in the order of safety, health, comfort, convenience, and sustainability. The mean score of residents who had all five needs satisfied was 0.9 points higher compared with those who had all needs satisfied except for sustainability. Dissemination of this housing hierarchy of needs could contribute to achieving many Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).